Micah Parsons was the centerpiece of the Green Bay Packers' stunning victory over the Detroit Lions, but another trade addition quietly delivered on debut.
It's Parsons' name up in the Lambeau lights, and understandably so — he drew several oohs and ahhs in his two-pressure, one-sack cameo that had Matt LaFleur comparing him to a "shooting star coming out of the sky." But another recent trade pickup, Darian Kinnard, deserves his flowers.
In a cutdown-week deal reminiscent of last year's move for Malik Willis, the Packers sent a 2027 sixth-round pick to the Philadelphia Eagles for Kinnard, an underrated offensive lineman who can play in multiple spots. And he delivered on Sunday.
Darian Kinnard quietly helped lift the Packers to victory following Zach Tom's injury
Packers fans held their breath when they lost Zach Tom, their new $88 million right tackle, to a hip injury. Matt LaFleur boldly called Kinnard off the bench, and not second-round rookie Anthony Belton.
Kinnard has bizarrely won the past three Super Bowls, having spent time with the Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs, but don't let that fool you. He only has four games of NFL experience in three seasons.
It didn't look like it.
Kinnard didn't allow a pressure or hit during his 15 snaps off the bench, but his best work came in the run game. He earned a respectable 61.0 PFF run-blocking grade, good for 28th among all 73 tackles who played in Week 1.
"Something I didn't expect to see yesterday was Darian Kinnard pulling from right tackle and moving bodies in the run game," writes Matt Schneidman of The Athletic.
Schneidman's exactly right. The Packers showed confidence in Kinnard, almost as if they had forgotten he only arrived in Green Bay two weeks ago.
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To have a star right tackle like Tom leave the game and for it to go unnoticed? That's impressive work from Kinnard. It will give the Packers a ton of confidence if they need him to deputize for Thursday Night Football.
When Brian Gutekunst makes a trade, he rarely misses. Two players the team traded for within the past two weeks made debuts on Sunday, and even with limited time to prepare, both delivered.
We expected that from Parsons. He's an all-world pass-rusher. But Kinnard was an unsung hero in the Packers' win and deserves his share of the love. He didn't impact the box score like Parsons, but when called upon, Kinnard stepped up, held down the right side of the line, and forced open rushing lanes for Josh Jacobs.
Kinnard impressed on debut, and he may receive only his second NFL start on Thursday night.